Mayor

Minnesota, of course, has had some pretty wacky elections. Topping them all, most would say, was the 1998 Governor’s race, where former pro-wrestler Jesse Ventura used some unconventional campaign commercials to help him ride to victory.

It’s one of the most common complaints from anyone driving downtown: timing the traffic lights to get a string of greens is a bit like hitting the lottery. But for anyone rushing between appointments or trying to get home after a long day at the office, shaving minutes off the daily commute is a payoff worth every penny.

Thirty-four people and counting want to be the next mayor of Minneapolis, and thanks to the city’s ongoing experiment with an alternative voting system, they all have a shot. Minnesota’s largest city is picking its first new leader in 12 years.

With just three months left before the election, the number of people vying for Mayor R.T. Rybak’s job is growing. Mark Andrew formally filed for office this morning. The Democrat is a life-long Minneapolis resident and owns two State Fair businesses. He also founded a company that helps make businesses environmentally sustainable. Andrew also served 16 years on the Hennepin County Board.

In the final hours of his campaign, Dorset’s incumbent mayor left nothing to chance. With cards in hand he spent all day stumping at the annual taste of Dorset. “I got up super early before anyone,” Bobby said. He hoped to win support from the thousands of undecided voters. For just $1 per vote, people submitted names to the town’s ballot boxes during the Taste of Dorset Festival.

In the coming weeks and months you will hear more about one of the most unusual elections in Minnesota history — the November 2013 Minneapolis mayor’s race. It’s going to be different because the person who comes in first may not be the winner in the end.

Minneapolis’ Democratic convention has adjourned without any candidate getting the votes needed for the party’s endorsement for mayor in November. Former Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Andrew took an early lead at Saturday’s convention but wasn’t able to get the 60 percent of votes needed for the party’s nod. The pool of six candidates had been whittled down to Andrew and City Council member Betsy Hodges by late Saturday, when Hodges’ campaign told its delegates to leave for pizza it fed them outside.

The mayor of Red Wing has been hired to promote the region’s growing frack sand industry, raising questions from some citizens about whether he can balance his community’s interests with his new employer’s.

Some of the Good Questions you send in deal with big issues. Others, we answer on Friday nights. So, WCCO-TV’s Jason DeRusha hits Reply All to a good question about science and another about government.

A Minneapolis high school student lost his dad in one of the worst workplace shootings in Minnesota history. Now, he will meet with other relatives and survivors of mass shootings and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to talk about taking action against gun violence.

A mayoral candidate in Winona County admits his conviction for selling marijuana could “throw a few complications” into his campaign. Stephen Conlin says he’s committed to his campaign for mayor of St. Charles.